Covering for soundproofed walls and the like



April 11, 167 E. BUCHMEIER 3,313,075

COVERING FOR SOUNDPROOFED WALLS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 14, 1964 Fig. I

IN VE N TOR E DUA RD BUCHME/ER Patented Apr. 11, 1967 3,313,075 COVERING FOR SOUNDPROOFED WALLS AND THE LIKE Eduard Buchmeier, Edingen, Baden, Germany, assignor to Grunzweig & Hartman AG, Ludwigshafen (Rhine), Germany Filed Feb. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 345,031 Claims priority, application Germany, Mar. 12, 1963, G 27,562 9 Claims. (Cl. 52489) The present invention relates to coverings for side walls or ceilings of rooms in public or private buildings and other establishments. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in coverings of the type wherein elongated panels are detachably secured to carriers which are supported by a wall structure.

It is an important object of the invention to provide a decorative and sound absorbent covering which comprises a series of elongated panels of substantially C- shaped cross section and specially configurated carriers to allow for rapid and convenient attachment or disconnection of such panels, which may be manufactured in many sizes or shapes and of many materials to enhance the appearance and sound absorbing characteristics of a wall structure, and which may be manipulated by persons having little technical skill.

Another object of the invention is to provide a covering of the just outlined characteristics wherein the panels may be disposed at equal or different distances from each other, wherein such rearrangement of panels may be achieved Without resorting to any tools, and wherein the panels may be arranged in parallelism or in inclined positions with reference to each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a covering wherein many differently configurated and differently dimensioned panels may be detachably secured to a comcon carrier and wherein the distance between the adjacent carriers may be varied in a simple and time-saving manner.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a covering which is especially suited for use as masking on soundproofed wall structures, particularly on ceilings, and wherein the panels normally conceal all or almost all parts of the supporting structure.

A concomitant object of the instant invention is to provide a covering wherein the panels are constructed and configurated in such a way that a small force suflices to attach or to disconnect the panels from the supporting structure.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a covering wherein a small number of carriers may support a large number of panels irrespective of the length, weight and configuration of such panels, and wherein the carriers automatically remain in requisite positions to support the panels at a desired distance or at a desired angle with respect to each other.

With the above objects in view, one feature of the invention resides in the provision of a covering for soundproofed Walls or the like which comprises guide means defining an elongated channel and arranged to be embedded in or otherwise secured to a Wall structure, a substantially flat carrier having a portion slidably received in and movable longitudinally of the channel, and at least one elastically deformable panel of substantially C-shaped cross-sectional outline which is detachably secured to a projection of a specially constructed carrier. This projection is provided with a pair of side faces which are inclined with reference to each other and which may be overlapped and clamped by the marginal sections of the panel, and a front face at least a portion of which is at least slightly spaced from the central section or back of the panel when the marginal sections are clampingly secured to the side faces. Owing to such configuration and mounting of the projection and/or of the panel, the latter may be readily detached merely by pressing the central section toward the front face of the projection so that the marginal sections move away from the respective side faces. The same procedure may be followed in reverse when the panel is to be reattached to the projection.

The carrier may be provided with one, two or more projections, and the guide means may comprise pairs of parallel supporting rails which are at least partially embedded in or otherwise permanently or detachably secured to the side wall or to the ceiling of a room. The outline of each projection preferably resembles the outline of the space enclosed by the sections of a panel.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved covering itself, however, both as to its construction and the method of assembling or adjusting the same, together with additional features and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of a specific embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a fully assembled covering wherein the panels are equidistant from and parallel with each other;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section as seen in the direction of arrows from the line 11-11 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical section as seen in the direction of arrows from the line III-III of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of a wall structure W which may be the side wall or the ceiling of a soundproofed room and which carries several supporting elements in the form of pairwise arranged L- shaped guide rails 4. The guide rails of each pair have parallel legs 4b which define between themselves elongated channels 40 and each leg has at its outer end an outwardly extending flange 4d which is adjacent to the outer side of the wall structure W. The inner ends of the legs 411 on adjacent guide rails 4 are joined by a tubular connecting portion 4a of circular or polygonal outline whose interior defines an elongated passage for an arcuate or otherwise configurated enlarged end portion 2a at the rear or inner end of a rigid, flat strip-shaped carrier 2. This carrier has a median portion 2b which is snugly received in the channel 40 of the respective pair I of guide rails 4, and a front portion including a. plurality of substantially C-shaped solid projections or noses 2b which extend forwardly and beyond the flanges 4d. Each projection has two side faces 2A which diverge in a direction away from the median portion 20 of the carrier, and a flat front face 2B which faces away from the channel and is substantially parallel with the common plane of the flanges 4d.

Each projection 2b extends into and thus supports an elongated elastically deformable panel 1 of C-shaped cross section, and each of these panels comprises a substantially flat central section 1a and two marginal sections 1b. The width of the marginal sections 11) or the length of the side faces 1A is such that the central section 1a is at least slightly spaced from the respective front face 2B,

the distance between the inner side of a central section 1a and the respective front face 2B being shown at 3 in FIG. 2. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, the marginal sections 1b of each panel 1 are mirror symmetrical to each other but the panels may be modified in a number of ways, for example, so that one of the sections 1b is normally perpendicular to the central section 1a.

If an operator desires to detach a panel 1 from'the respective projections 2b, all he has to do is to press against the central section 1a 50 that this section bends inwardly to the broken-line position 1a of FIG. 2 whereby the marginal sections 1b move away from the 3 respective side faces 2A to assume the broken-line positions 1b and the panel is ready to be separated from the carrier 2. This procedure is repeated in reverse when the panel is reattached to a' given projection 2b, i.e., the operator deforms the central section 1a so that the marginal sections 1b are moved away from each other and are ready to be snapped against the respective side faces 2A. When the central section 1a is de-formedinwardly, the marginal sections lb may move into two substantially parallel planes as shown in FIG. 2.

If the operator desires to change the position of a carrier 2 with reference to the rails 4, he merely grasps one or more projections or panels and pushes the carrier in the longitudinal direction of the rails (arrow 5) so that the median portion 2c slides in the channel 40 and that the enlarged arcuate end portion 2a slides in the passage defined 'by the tubular portion 4a. As a rule, the media-n portion 2c is held by friction, and the same applies for the end portion 2a. The carrier 2 may be shifted longitudinally of the rails 4 with or without the panels 1, depending on the number of panels which are supported by a common carrier and on the number of carriers which are connected with a set of panels.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the four left-hand panels 1 are supported by two carriers 2 (see FIG. 3) which are spaced] from each other in the longitudinal direction of the panels and whose planes are perpendicular to the longitudinal extensions of the panels. Thus, the distance between the panels which are mounted on such multi-projection carriers must remain constant. It goes without saying that each carrier may comprise two, three, five, six or more projections and that it is equally possible to provide at least some of the carriers with a single projection. This is shown in the right-hand part of FIG. 2 wherein the carrier 12 is provided with a single projection 12b and wherein the enlarged end portion 12a of this carrier is held at a requisite distance from the end portion 2:2 by a spacer member 6 whose length is such that the distance between the projections 12b and the nearest projection 2b is the same as the distance between a pair of adjacent projections 2b. Of course, if it is desired, the length of the spacer member 6 may be selected in such a way that the distance between the projection 12b and the nearest projection 2b is greater or less than the distance between a pair of adjacent projections 2b. The end portions 2a, 12a serve as retaining means and may be shaped in a number of ways as long as they normally prevent withdrawal of the median portions 2b, 12b from the respective channels 4c. Also, the connecting portions 4a may be dispensed with if the rails 4 are properly anchored in the wall structure W in such a way that they define a channel of requisite width and if there is room at the inner ends of the legs 4b to allow for the passage of an enlarged end portion at the inner end of a carrier 2 or 12. Also, one of the legs 4b may be provided with a rib which extends into a complementary groove of the median portions 2c; i.e., the supporting structure 2, 4, 4 should normally comprise some form of retaining means for preventing accidental withdrawal of the median portion 2c from the channel 40.

All or some parts of the improved covering may be made of metal, wood or synethtic plastic material. For example, the panels may be made of elastically deformable sheet metal or sheet plastic. The panels, the carriers and the rails may be coated or plated with corrosionresistant or decorative layers of identical color, or they may be painted differently to enhance the decorative effect of the covering.

It is equally within the purview of my invention to utilize two or more parallel carriers whereon the projections 2a and 12a are located at different distances from each other. Such carriers are used if the panels 1 are to form a decorative design, for example, so that they fan out from the one toward the other carrier. Also, in some instances, a single carrier may suffice to support one or more comparatively short panels of lightweight material; on the other hand, there'may be instances when each panel must be mounted on three or more spaced projections 2b or 12b. Finally, it is equally possible to make the central section in of each panel 1 at least slightly concave, convex or corrugated as long as the median zone of this central section may be depressed to move the corresponding marginal sections 1b outwardly and away from the respective side faces 2A in order to permit rapid attachment or separation of the panels.

The panels may be provided with comparatively rigid marginal sections 112 as long as each central section may be flexed in a sense to move the marginal sections apart. I

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications with-out omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential char= acteristics of the generic and specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptions should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: t

1. A'covering for side walls, ceilings and similar wall structures, comprising guide means including at least one pair of rails arranged to be secured to a wall structure and defining between themselves an elongated channel; a fiat strip-shaped carrier having a portion slidably received in said channel and at least one projection rigid with said portion and located externally of said channel, said projection having two undercut side faces and a front face facing away from said channel; and an elori gated panel of substantially C-shaped cross section, said panel receiving said projection and having a pair of marginal sections and a normally flat elastically deformable central section which is at least slightly spaced from said front face, said marginal sections clampingly engaging said side faces and being movable away from the respective side faces in response to deformation of said central section in a direction toward said front face.

2. A covering for side walls, ceilings and similar wall structures, comprising guide means including at least one pair of rai-ls arranged to be secured to a wall structure and comprising legs which define between themselves an elon= gated channel; a carrier having a portion slidably received in said channel and at least one projection rigid with said portion and located externally of said channel, said pro= jection having two inclined side faces and a front face facing away from said channel, and said guide means further comprising a tubular portion connecting said legs opposite said projection so that said rails form an inte gral unit; retaining means for normally preventing with-1 drawal of said carrier portion from said channel so that the carrier is merely s-lidable with reference to said rails in the longitudinal direction of said channel, said retaining means comprising an enlarged portion provided on said carrier and received in said tubular portion; and an elongated panel of substantially C-shaped cross section, said panel receiving said projection and having a pair of marginal sections and an elastically deformable central section which is at least slightly spaced from said front face, said marginal sections cl-ampingly engaging said side faces and being movable away from the respective side faces in response to deformation of said central section in a direction toward said front face.

3. A covering for side walls, ceilings and similar wall structures, comprising guide means including at least one pair of rails arranged to be secured to a wall structure and defining between themselves an elongated channel; a carrier having a portion slidably received in said channel and a plurality of projections each rigid with said por-' tion and located externally of said channel, each projection having two inclined side faces and a front face fac ing away from said channel; and a plurality of elongated panels of substantially C-shaped cross section, each panel receiving one of said projections and each having a pair of marginal sections and an elastically deformable central section which is at least slightly spaced from the respective front face, said marginal sections clampingly engaging the side faces of the respective projections and being movable away from the respective side faces in response to deformation of said central sections in a direction toward the respective front faces.

4. A covering for wall constructions, comprising a plurality of elongated panels of substantially C-shaped cross section, each panel having two undercut marginal section-s and an elastically deformable central section between the respective marginal sections; a carrier comprising a first portion and a second portion, said second portion comprising a plurality of projections each received in a different one of said panels and each having two side faces clampingly engaged by the marginal sections of the respective panels and a front face normally spaced from the central section of the respective panel so that said marginal sections may be moved away from the respective end faces in response to deformation of said central sections in a direction toward the front faces of the respective projections; and guide means arranged to support and to guide the first portion of said carrier for movement in a direction substantially transversely of said panels.

5. A covering as set forth in claim 4, wherein said carrier is a flat strip and wherein said guide means comprises two elongated rails which define said channel, the width of said channel being such that said first portion of said carrier is in frictional engagement with said rails.

6. A covering as set forth in claim 5, wherein said guide means further comprises a tubular portion which connects said rails to each other and wherein said carrier further comprises a third portion which extends into said tubular portion to prevent withdrawal of said first portion from said guide means.

7. A covering as set forth in claim 6, wherein said third portion of the carrier is of arcuate shape.

8. A covering for side wall-s, ceilings and similar wall structures, comprising guide means including at least one pair of rails arranged to be secured to a wall structure and defining between themselves an elongated channel; a plurality of carriers each having a portion slidably received in said channel and at least one projection rigid with the respective portion and located externally of said channel, each projection having two inclined side faces and a front face facing away from said channel; spacer means provided in said guide means intermediate said carriers for holding said projections at a predetermined distance from each other; and an elongated panel of substantially C-shaped cross-section for each projection, each panel receiving the respective projection and having a pair of marginal sections and an elastically deformable central section which is at least slightly spaced from the respective front face, said marginal sections clampingly engaging the side faces of the respective projections and being movable away from the respective side faces in response to deformation of said central sections in a direction away from the respective front faces.

9. A covering as set forth in claim 8, wherein said channel is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal extensions of said panels.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,959,259 11/1960 Meyer 52-718 2,981,387 4/1961 Dutchik 52-718 3,209,505 10/1965 Vermuelen et al 52-489 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,327,617 4/1963 France.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Examiner.

W. E. HEATON, J. K. BELL, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A COVERING FOR SIDE WALLS, CEILINGS AND SIMILAR WALL STRUCTURES, COMPRISING GUIDE MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF RAILS ARRANGED TO BE SECURED TO A WALL STRUCTURE AND DEFINING BETWEEN THEMSELVES AN ELONGATED CHANNEL; A FLAT STRIP-SHAPED CARRIER HAVING A PORTION SLIDABLY RECEIVED IN SAID CHANNEL AND AT LEAST ONE PROJECTION RIGID WITH SAID PORTION AND LOCATED EXTERNALLY OF SAID CHANNEL, SAID PROJECTION HAVING TWO UNDERCUT SIDE FACES AND A FRONT FACE FACING AWAY FROM SAID CHANNEL; AND AN ELONGATED PANEL OF SUBSTANTIALLY C-SHAPED CROSS SECTION, SAID PANEL RECEIVING SAID PROJECTION AND HAVING A PAIR OF MARGINAL SECTIONS AND A NORMALLY FLAT ELASTICALLY DEFORMABLE CENTRAL SECTION WHICH IS AT LEAST SLIGHTLY SPACED FROM SAID FRONT FACE, SAID MARGINAL SECTIONS CLAMPINGLY ENGAGING SAID SIDE FACES AND BEING MOVABLE AWAY FROM THE RESPECTIVE SIDE FACES IN RESPONSE TO DEFORMATION OF SAID CENTRAL SECTION IN A DIRECTION TOWARD SAID FRONT FACE. 